CHAPTER 315: CHAPTER 315: THINKING OF SOMEONE I DISLIKE (2)

Tears have always been something that Ruan Pianran resisted, perhaps because she often saw her mother crying sadly when she was young, or maybe due to her own innate stubbornness and strength. In any case, she never cried easily. When she was sad or wronged, she would only cry in her dreams.

How many times has she woken up crying? Ruan Pianran couldn’t remember. She habitually reached out for tissues, but after feeling around the bedside for a while, she found nothing. So, she slowly opened her eyes. When her blurred vision gradually cleared, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment.

An unfamiliar ceiling, unfamiliar walls, an unfamiliar wardrobe, an unfamiliar desk, an unfamiliar lamp, an unfamiliar bed... Everything in the room that her eyes could see was strange to her, except for the quilt covering her and the suitcase in the corner, which she recognized. Everything else was completely unfamiliar.

Just waking up, Ruan Pianran’s mind was still filled with the remnants of her dream. She sat in a daze on the bed for a while before her brain slowly started to function. As memories rewound, she finally remembered Ke and how she came to be here.

Running her fingers through her hair, Ruan Pianran then found the tissues on the bedside table, wiped her face, and headed straight to the bathroom.

This was a single apartment, with one bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, and one kitchen. The decor was exceptionally elegant, and the furniture arrangement showed unique taste. The owner’s meticulous care was evident everywhere, with no hint of being casual about renting out the place.

Being assigned to such a beautiful house, Ruan Pianran was indeed a bit surprised when she first arrived, but that was it. She never had high standards for her living conditions. Even though she found out that all the furniture and bedding were brand new, she wasn’t thrilled, just thought that the bilingual school was really wealthy to spend so much effort and money on hosting a low-profile English teacher like her.

After washing her face, Ruan Pianran saw her red and swollen eyes in the mirror and was stunned for a second. She then reached for the towel hanging on the rack, dried her face, and left the bathroom.

Memories weighed heavily on her, causing Ruan Pianran’s mood to become chaotic. She felt even more suffocated staying in this unfamiliar room, so she took out her makeup from the suitcase, put on a delicate light makeup, and decided to go out and see Mi Jing.

Time Coffee Shop.

"Ruanruan, you’re here to see Jing?" As soon as Ruan Pianran pushed open the door and walked into the shop, the staff at the counter saw her and greeted her warmly with a smile.

"Yes." Ruan Pianran responded softly, then looked around but didn’t see Mi Jing, so she asked, "Where’s Jingjing?"

"She’s painting on the back balcony." The staff pointed towards the direction of the balcony.

"I’ll go find her then." Ruan Pianran smiled at the staff and then walked towards the balcony.

Ruan Pianran knew there was no door on the balcony, but now she saw a floral curtain covering the entrance, which she hadn’t seen before. Instinctively, she slowed her pace, walked gently to the door, and quietly lifted a corner of the floral curtain.

Mi Jing didn’t notice her coming, she was holding a paintbrush, fully immersed in her own world.

Seeing this, Ruan Pianran didn’t make a sound. She lifted the floral curtain, walked in, and sat down on the sofa.

"Ruanruan?"

It wasn’t until Ruan Pianran sat down that Mi Jing noticed her. Seeing her suddenly appear, Mi Jing’s face was full of surprise.

"Why are you here?" Mi Jing asked in astonishment.

"My work has been temporarily reassigned. I’ll be staying in Jin City for a while starting today." Ruan Pianran said lightly.

Upon hearing this, Mi Jing became more curious and continued to ask, "Are you here for further training?"

"No." Ruan Pianran relaxed against the sofa back, glanced at the draft in front of Mi Jing, and said, "Our school is hosting an exchange event with the bilingual school here. I came to observe and learn."

"Where are you staying?"

"An apartment near the school."

"Do you start work tomorrow?"

"Not yet decided."

And so, Mi Jing and Ruan Pianran engaged in casual conversation. Knowing her for so many years, Mi Jing understood her well enough to see through the delicate makeup covering her beautiful face and sensed that she was in a bad mood. Unlike most people who wear makeup to enhance their appearance, Ruan Pianran wore makeup to better conceal her emotions, to prevent others from seeing any sign of her melancholy and fatigue.

On normal days, Ruan Pianran seldom wore makeup. It wasn’t because she lacked skill, nor because of her identity as a teacher, but simply because she didn’t like it. Mi Jing was similar in this regard. Unless she had severe dark circles or was attending special occasions, she wouldn’t bother putting on makeup. Firstly, because she was lazy and found removing makeup troublesome, and secondly, because she preferred her natural look and didn’t want to overly embellish herself.

"Is there somewhere you’d like to go? How about we go out for a stroll?" Concerned that Ruan Pianran might be bored, Mi Jing decided to set her work aside and take her out to relax.

"Don’t mind me. You go ahead," Ruan Pianran said as she pulled out her phone and lay down on the sofa.

After the busy start of the month, Mi Jing had a bit more free time at the coffee shop mid-month. However, she was still busy because, besides handling the shop affairs, she also had to rush her artwork.

Now, she had already completed more than half of the draft. She wanted to finish it as soon as possible since the magazine editor had urged her several times, and she couldn’t delay the submission any longer.

Taking a look at Ruan Pianran, who was lying on the sofa playing with her phone, Mi Jing’s eyes darkened. After a moment of thought, she decided to finish her work as quickly as possible; otherwise, Ruanruan wouldn’t be willing to go out with her.

Scratch, scratch—

The small world on the balcony was very quiet, with only the faint sound of the paintbrush occasionally breaking the silence. In this place, Ruan Pianran felt completely at ease, not only because it was familiar to her but more importantly because the person next to her was Mi Jing. Being well understood, she didn’t need any pretense or to put up a brave front. She could present her true self here naturally.

An hour and a half later, after some tweaks and touches, Mi Jing finally completed her artwork satisfactorily. Stretching lazily, she then picked up the draft, proudly handed it to Ruan Pianran, and said, "What do you think? Any feedback?"

Ruan Pianran took the draft, her gaze lingered on it for a few seconds before she calmly said, "It’s quite good."

"..." Mi Jing didn’t respond immediately, waiting for Ruan Pianran to give more detailed feedback.

But after waiting for several seconds, Ruan Pianran didn’t say anything more. So, Mi Jing complained with slight annoyance, "Can you not be so perfunctory?"

"I’m not being perfunctory. It’s really quite good. If I have to point out a flaw, personally, I think the male lead’s eyes don’t look good," Ruan Pianran sat up from the sofa, her tone more serious than before.